The field of business intelligence (BI) generally refers to a category of systems and software applications used to improve decision-making and governance of organizations such as businesses. These software tools provide techniques for better using data. For example, collecting, viewing, exploring, reporting on, analyzing and acting on data. On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) tools are a subset of BI tools. OLAP tools are suited to ad hoc analyses. OLAP generally refers to a technique of providing fast analysis of shared multidimensional information stored in a database. Generally, the data is arranged in a schema which simulates a multidimensional arrangement. OLAP systems provide a multidimensional conceptual view of data, including full support for measures, hierarchies and multiple hierarchies. This framework is used because it is a logical way to arrange data when user may query and aggregate the data in many different ways. These tools allow for users to initiate queries without the need to know how the data is organized—ad hoc information retrieval. This does mean that redundant information is stored but the wide adoption of OLAP tools suggests this overhead in data storage is acceptable.
OLAP tools help users work with information through use of an OLAP server that is specifically designed to support and operate on multidimensional data sources. OLAP is typically implemented in a multi-user client/server model where the client displays data that a server retrieves from the data source or cube. The design of the OLAP server and the structure of the data are optimized for rapid ad hoc information retrieval in any orientation, as well as for fast, flexible calculation and transformation of raw data members on formulaic relationships. As well, OLAP tools are used to explore data.
Currently, known techniques for analyzing multidimensional data are unsatisfactory. Analyzing a complex multidimensional space requires navigation and changes of view. Navigating often is disorienting and changing views disrupts the train of thought. Spawning more windows and components can lead to visual clutter and utilizing higher dimensionality has proved to be difficult. It would be desirable to provide improved techniques for manipulating complex multidimensional data. In particular, it would be desirable to provide a method that allows viewing something without navigating away or changing the view and at the same time at a low performance cost.